Get It in Writing: No Armed Federal Agents at the Polls

The DHS secretary said on September 1, 2026 that immigration officers could enter polling places to serve warrants, and two lawsuits seeking to keep armed agents away from voters are undecided.

A letter to your members of Congress. Facts checked September 23, 2026.

The explainer behind this letter Voter Intimidation What the law bans at the polls and what to do if you see it

The Letter

Subject Demand a written commitment from DHS, DOJ, and the FBI: no armed agents at polling places

I'm writing because I want to vote this November without wondering who is standing outside my polling place.

On September 1, the Secretary of Homeland Security said immigration officers could go into polling places to serve a warrant. The FBI director wouldn't rule out agents at the polls. Two lawsuits have been filed since, and neither has been decided. Election Day is November 3.

Federal law has been clear on this since 1865. It is a crime for any federal officer to bring troops or armed men to a place where an election is held. The Voting Rights Act separately bans anyone, including a government official, from intimidating voters or the people helping them vote.

This isn't a fringe worry. Gallup found 52% of Americans are concerned about intimidation near polling places this year. The people who run our elections feel it too: 38% of local election officials told the Brennan Center they had been threatened, harassed, or abused because of their job. When voters stay home because they're afraid, the election is decided before a single ballot is counted.

You have the power to settle this before November. Please write to the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, and the FBI director asking each for a written commitment that no armed federal agents will be stationed at or near polling places, drop boxes, or counting sites. And please ask for an oversight hearing before Election Day so that commitment is on the record.

Will you ask DHS, DOJ, and the FBI to commit in writing that armed agents will stay away from the polls?

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Call Your Representative

U.S. Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121

I'm a constituent calling about federal agents at polling places. I'd like the senator or representative to demand a written commitment from DHS, DOJ, and the FBI that no armed agents will be stationed at or near the polls.
On September 1, the DHS secretary said ICE officers could go into polling places to serve warrants. Two lawsuits have been filed and neither has been decided before November 3.
Federal law has made it a crime since 1865 for any federal officer to bring armed men to a polling place, and 52% of Americans say they're worried about intimidation this year.
Will the senator or representative ask those agencies for that commitment in writing and push for an oversight hearing before Election Day? I'd like to hear back.

Calls get logged by topic. Volume drives the briefing.

The Facts Behind the Ask

18 U.S.C. 592 makes it a crime for any federal officer to bring troops or armed men to a polling place (source)
52% of U.S. adults are concerned about voter intimidation near polling places in 2026 (Gallup) (source)
38% of local election officials report being threatened, harassed, or abused on the job (Brennan Center, 2025) (source)
2 lawsuits filed in September 2026 to keep armed federal agents from intimidating voters, both undecided (source)

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